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| 2015 trip to Scandinavia and a bit of Hungary |
Wednesday, June 7, 2017
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
The Kis family from Borsodivánka
Emese's father was Balázs Kis, and he came from Borsodivánka. Borsodivánka, or Ivánka as it was called in the old days, is in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, about 140 km East of Budapest. It is a small village currently of 754 people at the transition between the Hungarian Plain and the Northern Mountains. It was the home of the Kis family for hundreds of years.
Even though Balázs left his village at a young age for the city, he and his family often returned to visit relatives who stayed behind. Emese has wonderful memories of careless summers spent with her grandmother Veronika Olasz and her uncle János and aunt Marika ("ángyikám").
Emese's ancestors are as follows:
A1. Kis István, *c. 1780, married: Szalmás Ágnes *c. 1790.
B1. Kis Balázs, *1815.3.12, married: Sári Terézia *1814.11.16 (parents: Sári Albert, Cseh Anna)
C1. Kis Balázs, *1844.8.23, married: Tóth Borbála *1851.12.29 (parents:Tót János, Dajka Erzsébet)
D1. Kis Balázs, *1876.8.20, married: Olasz Veronika, *1881.3.7 (parents: Olasz Pál, Csató Mária)
E1. Kis Kálmán, *1900.7.30, †1904.2.7
E2. Kis Mária, *1903.4.26, †1903.5.2
E3. Kis Veron, *1907.12.15, †1907.12.25
E4. Kis János, married: Mária
F1. Kis János,
F2. Kis Sándor,
F3. Kis Ibolya,
F4. Kis Olga,
E5. Kis Balázs, *1912.1.17, †1973, married: Dornai Anna, *Pér, 1915.2.7, †2000.6.1
F1. Kis Emese
F2. Kis Péter
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Friday, June 22, 2012
Petra graduates from Algonquin College
Diploma in Practical Nursing, June 2011
Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/116510617312467201920/PetraSGrad?authuser=0&feat=directlink
Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/116510617312467201920/PetraSGrad?authuser=0&feat=directlink
Monday, May 7, 2012
The origins of the Hollósi family
We know all about my paternal grandparents, Gyula Hollósi and Erzsébet Ficthacher. Gyula was born in Budapest in 1893. He worked in the printing trade for all of his life, and lived to 87 years of age. Erzsébet was born in Szászrégen in Transylvania, which is now Reghin, Romania. She migrated to Hungary in 1920, where according to the lore, she and her family were temporarily accommodated in a converted railroad carriage.
According to family legend, the parents of my grandfather, Gyula Hollósi, were Pál Hollósi and Katalin Elchinger. Pál senior was a railroad worker, and before that, a coachman. Katalin's father, Antal Elchinger, was a cabinet maker. Pál and Katalin lived on Dessewffy street in Rákospalota (then a suburb of Budapest, now district XV.), Tata was born there too. They were already city dwellers, they lived on Elemér street, also in the VIII. district, they moved around a lot because great-grandmother Katalin was superintendent in a number of apartment buildings. She was a good-looking redheaded woman. Pál was born in Balatonfőkajár (in Veszprém county, near Lake Balaton), and his forebears came from Soponya (nearby, in Fehér county).
Starting out from these facts only, it was a somewhat daunting task to assemble a family tree. It was easy enough to find the 1927 marriage certificate for Gyula and Erzsébet, since civil registration records are now available online. For Gyula's birth record, I had to go to the baptism records of the Kálvin-tér Reformed Church of Budapest. (Fortunately the baptism records of both the Catholic and the Reformed churches are now indexed online by the Family Search organization). From this, the birth place of great-grandfather Pál was confirmed to be Balatonfőkajár. There was only one person of this name born on Balatonfőkajár in the 1800's, 1858 to be precise. From this we could find the name of Pál's parents - their marriage record was not found in the register of Balatonfőkajár, but was located in Soponya. So, indeed, Pál's mother, Julianna Bozai, did come from Soponya, but his father was born in Balatonfőkajár. The male line was traced back 6 generations to about 1700, all living in the same village. Unfortunately, the registries don't go back any further.
The Elchinger family seems to have come from Dunaföldvár. They were Roman Catholics, and Gyula's older brother was at first baptized a Catholic, but he and Gyula were registered in the Reformed (Calvinists) Church.
A1. György Hollósi, *c. 1701.
B1. István, *Balatonfőkajár, 1726.6.11.
C1. Péter, *Balatonfőkajár, 1745.9.1. Married: Susánna Sziget
D1. Sára, *Balatonfőkajár, 1773.2.22.
D2. Ersébet, *Balatonfőkajár, 1779.9.20.
C2. Éva, *Balatonfőkajár, 1747.7.9.
C3. István, *Balatonfőkajár, 1757.10.8.
C4. Judith, *Balatonfőkajár, 1756.5.2.
C5. István, *Balatonfőkajár, 1760.9.22. Married: Katalin Olasz *Vörösberény, 1764.2.2 (father: György Olasz).
D1. György, *Balatonfőkajár, 1785.11.21. †1785.11.30.
D2. János, *Balatonfőkajár, 1786.12.19. †1786.12.23.
D3. Ádám, *Balatonfőkajár, 1789.6.8. †1789.7.1.
D4. Éva, *Balatonfőkajár, 1789.6.8. †1789.7.1.
D5. Pál, *Balatonfőkajár, 1792.1.12. †1794.12.20.
D6. Pál, *Balatonfőkajár, 1798.3.27. Married: Judit Csuka, *1799 k. (father: Mihály Csuka).
E1. Éva, *Balatonfőkajár, 1822.9.17.
E2. Rebeka, *Balatonfőkajár, 1823.9.17.
E3. István, *Balatonfőkajár, 1825.9.24.
E4. Mihály, *Balatonfőkajár, 1827.9.24. Married: Julianna Bozai, *Soponya,1834.5.3. (father: György Bozai and Éva Horvát), marriage: Soponya, 1854.2.
F1. Rebeka, *Balatonfőkajár, 1856.9.29.
F2. Pál, *Balatonfőkajár, 1858.9.8. (see below)
E5. Éva, *Balatonfőkajár, 1829.3.5.
D7. Sára, *Balatonfőkajár, 1800.3.4.
D8. István, *Balatonfőkajár ,1803.10.4.
C6. Sára, *Balatonfőkajár, 1761.1.12.
F2. Pál Hollósi, *Balatonfőkajár, 1858.9.8.
married: Katalin Elchinger, *Budapest, 1860.10.27 (parents: Antal Elchinger and Terézia Takács)
G1. János, *Székesfehérvár, 1880.8.9.
G2. Gyula Pál, *Budapest, 1893.9.27, †1980.
1st marriage: Mária Wodicska
H1. Gyula György, *1920.
2nd marriage: Erzsébet Mária Fichtacher, *Szászrégen 1903.12.9 (parents: János Fichtacher and Irma Balthes), marriage: Budapest VI., 1927.2.19, †1985.
H2. Gyula, *Budapest, 1928.
H3. Pál, *Budapest, 1930.1.1.
H4. Erzsébet, *Budapest, 1935.1.31, †1990.8.
Original sources
István Hollósi 1726
Baptism: Balatonfőkajár. 1726.6.11, son of György Hollósi
Index: "Hungary Reformed Church Christenings, 1624-1895," index, FamilySearch
(https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V5QQ-3LX : accessed 4 May 2012),
Istvá Hollosi, 1726
István Hollósi 1760
Baptism: Balatonfőkajár, 1760.9.22, son of István Hollósi
Index: "Hungary Reformed Church Christenings, 1624-1895," index, FamilySearch
(https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V5QQ-XTG : accessed 4 May 2012),
Istvánját Hollosi, 1760.
István Hollósi és Katalin Olasz 1785
Marriage: Balatonfőkajár, 1785.2.27. Groom: István Hollósi, unmarried. Bride: Katalin Olasz, unmarried, from V. Berény.
Forrás: Református Egyház, Balatonfőkajár „Anyakönyvek, 1739-1895”. Mikrofilm. Filmre vette a Genealogical Society of Utah, 1963. Az eredeti iratok mikrofilmrevétele Budapesten a Magyar Országos Levéltárban történt. Hungary. FHL microfilm. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Pál Hollósi 1798
Baptism: Balatonfőkajár, 1798.3.27, son of István Hollósi.
Index: "Hungary Reformed Church Christenings, 1624-1895," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V5QQ-DGW : accessed 4 May 2012), Pál Hollósi, 1798.
Pál Hollósi and Judit Csuka 1821
Házasság: Balatonfőkajár, 1821.7.13. Groom: Pál Hollósi, unmarried, 22. Bride: Jutka, unmarried daughter of Mihály Csuka, 21.
Forrás: Református Egyház, Balatonfőkajár „Anyakönyvek, 1739-1895”. Mikrofilm. Filmre vette a Genealogical Society of Utah, 1963. Az eredeti iratok mikrofilmrevétele Budapesten a Magyar Országos Levéltárban
történt. Hungary. FHL microfilm. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Mihály Hollósi 1827
Birth: Balatonfőkajár, 1827.09.17. Baptism: 1827.09.30. Parents: Pál Hollósi and Judit Csuka .
Index: "Hungary Reformed Church Christenings,
1624-1895," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V5QQ-T3Y : accessed 20 April 2012), Mihály Hollosi (1827).
Julianna Bozai 1834
Baptism: Soponya, 1834.5.3. Parents: György Bozai and Éva Horvát.
Index: "Hungary Reformed Church Christenings, 1624-1895," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VFKJ-HDD : accessed 20 April 2012), Juliánna Bozai (1834).
Mihály Hollósi és Juliánna Bozai 1854
Marriage: Soponya, 1854.2. Groom: Mihály Hollósi, farmer, residence: Kajár 89., Calvinist, 26 years old, unmarried, parents: Pál Hollósi, Judit Csuka. Bride: Juliánna Bozai, farmer, lakhely: Soponya 58, Calvinist, 19 years old, unmarried.
Forrás: Református Egyház, Soponya „Anyakönyvek, 1739-1895”. Mikrofilm. Filmre vette a Genealogical Society of Utah, 1963. Az eredeti iratok mikrofilmrevétele Budapesten a Magyar Országos Levéltárban történt. FHL microfilm. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Rebeka Hollósi 1856
Birth: Balatonfőkajár, 1856.09.27. Baptism: 1856.09.29. Parents: Mihály Hollósi, Julianna Bodai, Ref., day labourers.
Forrás: Hungary Reformed
Church Christenings, 1624-1895," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V5QQ-1XC : accessed 30 March 2012), Rebeka Hollosi (1856).
Pál Hollósi 1858
Birth: Balatonfőkajár, 1858.9.6. Baptism: 1856.9.8. Parents: Mihály Hollósi, Julianna Bozai, Ref., day labourers.
Index: 1858.09.08., Balatonfőkajár, Veszprém m.,
szülei: Hollósi Mihály, Borai Juliánna [Bozai]. Forrás: "Hungary Reformed Church Christenings, 1624-1895," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V5QQ-12F : accessed 30 March 2012), PálHollosi (1858).
János Hollósi 1880
Birth: Székesfehérvár, 1880.8.9. Baptism: Székesfehérvár, R. Cath. parish, 1880.8.12. Reformed Church Registry: Budapest, Kálvin tér, 1891.8.8. Parents: Pál Hollósi, Ref., Katalin Elchinger, R. Cath. Godparents: Horváth Mihály baker, Láposi Teréz.
Index: Hungary Reformed Church
Christenings, 1624-1895," index, FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V5QX-B5T : accessed 30 March 2012), János Hollósi (1880).
Gyula Hollósi 1893
Birth: Budapest, 1893.3.27. Baptism: Budapest, Kálvin tér, 1893.4.2 Parents: Pál Hollósi, born in Balatonfőkajár, Ref., occupation: factory worker, and Katalin Elchinger. Residence: VIII. Kőris u. 12, Godparents: Czeiz Emil, Matyovszky Boriska.
Index: "Hungary Reformed Church Christenings,
1624-1895," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V5QF-W5G : accessed 30 March 2012), Gyula Pal Hollósi (1893).
Gyula Hollósi és Erzsébet Fichtacher 1927
Marriage: Budapest VI., 1927.2.19. Groom: Gyula Pál, Hollósi, journeyman typographer, Ref., born Budapest, 1893.3.27, residence: Rákospalota, Zápolya utca 89, (parents: Pál Hollósi deceased and Katalin). Bride: Erzsébet Mária Fichtacher, Ref., born Szászrégen, Maros-Torda county, 1903.12.9, residence: Budapest, VII. Andrásy út 41, (parents: János Fichtacher, Irma Balthes deceased). Witnesses: János Hollósi, Béla Fichtacher.
Forrás:"Hungary Civil Registration," images, FamilySearch.org; from Archiv Der Stadt Budapest, Pest-Pilis-Solt-Kis-Kun, Hungary. “Állami anyakönyvek.” Az eredeti iratok mikrofilmre vétele Budapesten a Városi Levéltárban történt, Hungary. FHL microfilm. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11754-21924-98?cc=1452460&wc=14339454
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Welcome, new Geni collaborators
A number of new family connections were recently uncovered and invited to Geni.
Here are a few words about who they are and how I found them.
I contacted my second cousin Laura Popper through Facebook. I knew about a Popper connection in the NY area from my mother. I knew that her cousin Martin Popper was a lawyer whose father immigrated to the US around 1900. My mother as well as Vilma Hoffmann knew Martin, and Martin even met up with us in Budapest in the 1960s. When I found Martin's obituary in the New York Times I was quite surprised by his distinguished career including defending those attacked in the McCarthy era witch hunts. Read more here.
The article mentioned Martin's wife Kathryn Trosper and his children Joseph and Dr. Laura Popper. I guess there aren't that many dr. Laura Poppers, besides, she has been voted one of the top 10 pediatricians in NY and has a wonderful blog site. Hope to find more about this branch of the family, check her out on Facebook!
It's really cool that Laura was named after our common great grandmother Laura Kollin -- and Martin was named after my grandfather Márton, same as where George gets his middle name.
Péter Lóránd is my fourth cousin who lives in Veszprém, Hungary. We share common great-great-great-grandparents Leopold Lazar (1791-1870) and Terézia Bilitz (1798-1860). Neither of us had any idea about the existence of the other branches of the family, even though Péter has been researching his roots for over 12 years. Here is how I found out about him:
I was able to locate the death records for Laura Kollin which documented the names of her parents Márton Kollin and Franciska Lázár. I stumbled upon the website of a Hungarian genealogist Zoltan Györe who has been mapping the history of Jewish families in Veszprém county. Zoltan shared some information about the families of Ajka, among whom were Márton and Franciska, but no mention of Laura! Looking at Zoltan's document more closely I found in he footnotes that much of the information was provided by Péter Lóránd, whose name also appears as one of the family members in the document - Zoltan provided his email address. I expect that we will be learning more about the Lazar ancestors shortly.
The subject of the previous post, Anni Engel also yielded another connection. I mentioned that I found the article in a post from Stevan Harnad who is Annie's cousin on her mother's side. I contacted Stevan -- his email wasn't hard to find, as he is a well-published author. He is at UQAM in Montreal, check him out on Wikipedia.
Stevan also put me in touch with Gabor Kalman, who has recently produced a film called "There Was Once..." a film about the Jewish community of Kalocsa, where the George's mother and aunt come from, as well as the family of Aladar and Olga Schwarcz -- and apparently Anni Engel's mother and Stevan's family. The film website is http://www.therewasoncefilm.com/. As soon as I find out more about it, I will post it.
Here are a few words about who they are and how I found them.
I contacted my second cousin Laura Popper through Facebook. I knew about a Popper connection in the NY area from my mother. I knew that her cousin Martin Popper was a lawyer whose father immigrated to the US around 1900. My mother as well as Vilma Hoffmann knew Martin, and Martin even met up with us in Budapest in the 1960s. When I found Martin's obituary in the New York Times I was quite surprised by his distinguished career including defending those attacked in the McCarthy era witch hunts. Read more here.
The article mentioned Martin's wife Kathryn Trosper and his children Joseph and Dr. Laura Popper. I guess there aren't that many dr. Laura Poppers, besides, she has been voted one of the top 10 pediatricians in NY and has a wonderful blog site. Hope to find more about this branch of the family, check her out on Facebook!
It's really cool that Laura was named after our common great grandmother Laura Kollin -- and Martin was named after my grandfather Márton, same as where George gets his middle name.
Péter Lóránd is my fourth cousin who lives in Veszprém, Hungary. We share common great-great-great-grandparents Leopold Lazar (1791-1870) and Terézia Bilitz (1798-1860). Neither of us had any idea about the existence of the other branches of the family, even though Péter has been researching his roots for over 12 years. Here is how I found out about him:
I was able to locate the death records for Laura Kollin which documented the names of her parents Márton Kollin and Franciska Lázár. I stumbled upon the website of a Hungarian genealogist Zoltan Györe who has been mapping the history of Jewish families in Veszprém county. Zoltan shared some information about the families of Ajka, among whom were Márton and Franciska, but no mention of Laura! Looking at Zoltan's document more closely I found in he footnotes that much of the information was provided by Péter Lóránd, whose name also appears as one of the family members in the document - Zoltan provided his email address. I expect that we will be learning more about the Lazar ancestors shortly.
The subject of the previous post, Anni Engel also yielded another connection. I mentioned that I found the article in a post from Stevan Harnad who is Annie's cousin on her mother's side. I contacted Stevan -- his email wasn't hard to find, as he is a well-published author. He is at UQAM in Montreal, check him out on Wikipedia.
Stevan also put me in touch with Gabor Kalman, who has recently produced a film called "There Was Once..." a film about the Jewish community of Kalocsa, where the George's mother and aunt come from, as well as the family of Aladar and Olga Schwarcz -- and apparently Anni Engel's mother and Stevan's family. The film website is http://www.therewasoncefilm.com/. As soon as I find out more about it, I will post it.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Why Did You Let Them? (Anni Engel)
Nelly Kotányi, "Miért engedtétek?" Képes Figyelő 1945-10-13 (originally published in Hungarian, in June 1945, translated into English 2000-05-20)
It was six years ago that I saw her first, on a warm summer afternoon in a flowering schoolyard in Szekszard. The municipal music school had invited me to serve as an outside examiner that year. We were hearing the well-prepared pupils in the auditorium of the renowned Garay Gimnazium. A diminutive little girl was announced: seven years old, but hardly looking even that.
She began to play music. And it was indeed music she was playing, not just piano — music immemorial, her miniature fingers sculpting Bach and Mozart out of that oversize keyboard. She even played us a few little pieces she herself had written. A great gift, first spreading its wings. No one was surprised to hear that we awarded her the prize book. In the fullness of her 7 years she was already well-known in that town; many were predicting she would one day be the pride of Szekszard.
Four years pass. Now eleven, she plays Beethoven’s C-minor piano concerto in the student concert. By now everyone recognizes that hers is no ordinary talent. She is brought up to Budapest. The Music Academy Director receives her with tokens of his admiration and respect: He “would admit her immediately to the Academy, but the Jewish-Laws forbid it.” He adds that he hopes the regime will soon fall; till then he would still like to follow her development closely. The little girl is happy. A radiantly bright autumn day. Anny can come up to Budapest two more times, so the Music Academy’s celebrated piano maestro can hear her. Then comes March 19, 1944, and the maelstrom of deportation.
After the siege’s end, I hear nothing about them. Just two weeks ago, I learned from the deathlist of the Muhldorf Camp, that Anny’s father had perished there. Last week I met some people from Szekszard. My first question is about Anny. They tell me. It was in Auschwitz on a December day that they saw her last. The executioners came for Anny, to separate her from her mother. The little child with the God-given gift had been found unable to labour hard enough. Her mother, Rozsi, would not leave her, so she was taken to the gas chamber too. Never seen again.
Little Anny Engel! This is the first article about you, and it will have no successors, because the little artist is no more.
Yet what an endless joy it would have been for me, if you had played the first movement of the C-Minor concerto once again. You know, that last trill, at the end of the cadenza, the one for which you need bigger hands — I would leave it as you played it for the time being.
Women, mothers, whom the star of fortune spared from the horror, and all of you who are happily embracing your children now: don’t you hear them sometimes, on calm nights, the muted moans?
Miért engedtétek?
Kotányi Nelly
Hat év előtt láttam először, meleg nyári délelőttön a szekszárdi gimnázium virágos udvarán. Abban az évben vizsgabiztosnak hívott meg az ottani városi zeneiskola. A nagyhírű Garay-gimnázium tantermében hallgattuk a növendékek szépen betanult jatékát. Beszólítottak egy pöttömnyi kisleányt. Hét éves volt, de annyinak sem látszott. Muzsikálni kezdett! Nem zongorázott, mert muzsika volt, áhitatos zene, ahogy kicsiny ujjai Bachot és Mozartot megszólaltatták! Meghallgattuk néhány apró darabját, amit ő komponált! Egy nagy tehetség első szárnypróbálgatása. Senki sem csodálkozott, hogy ő nyerte meg a jutalomkönyvet. A városban ismerték már 7 éves korában és sokan mondogatták, hogy egyszer még büszkesége lesz Szekszárdnak.
Elmúlik négy év. A 11 éves gyermek Beethoven C-moll koncertjét játssza a növendékhangversenyen. Most már mindenki elismeri, hogy nem mindennapi tehetség. Felhozzák Pestre. A Zeneművészeti Főiskola művésztanára elragadtatással és a legnagyobb elismeréssel fogadja. Azonnal felvenné a főiskolára, de a zsidótörvény nem engedi. Reméli azonban, hogy a rendszer megbukik hamarosan. Addig is figyelemmel akaja kísérni a gyermek fejlődését. A kisleány boldog. Verőfényes őszi nap. Anny még kétszer feljöhet Pestre, hogy a Zeneművészeti Főiskola kiváló tanára meghallgassa. Aztán jön 1944. március 19. és jön a deportálás infernója.
Az ostrom után sokáig nem tudok róluk semmit. Most két hét előtt olvastam a mühldorfi tábor halállistáján, hogy Anny édesapja szívbénulásban elhalt. Múlt héten szekszárdiakkal találkoztam. Első kérdésem, mi hír Annyról. Elmondják. Auschwitzban egy decemberi napon látták utoljára. A gyilkos pribékek jöttek Annyért, hogy szétválasszák édesanyjától. Az istenáldotta kis muzsikustehetség nem tudott eleget dolgozni. Vitték a gázkamrába. Édesanyja nem hagyta, vele ment. Azota nem látták őket.
Kicsi Engel Anny! Ez az első cikk rólad, melyet nem fog más követni, mert a kis művésznő – halott…
Pedig milyen végtelen öröm lett volna nekem, ha még egyszer eljátszanád a C-moll koncert első tételét. Azt az utolsó trillát, tudod, ott a kadencia végén, amihez nagyobb kéz kell, még egyenlőre elengedném!…
Asszonyok, anyák, kiket szerencsecsillagotok megvédett a borzalmaktól és boldogan ölelitek gyermekeiteket, nem halljátok néha csendes éjjeleken a halk sóhajtásokat: Miért engedtétek?
Made available on the Internet by Stevan Harnad at http://users.ecs.soton.ac.uk/harnad/skywritings/index.php?/archives/91-Miert-engedtetek.html
Anni Engel was Stevan’s cousin; her mother, Rozsika, from Kalocsa, his mother’s sister. Nelly Kotanyi was Anni’s piano teacher. His mother learned what became of them in June 1945, from a slightly earlier and longer (but suppressed and apparently lost) version of this article. This version was retrieved after some searching (at Stevan’s request) by someone in Hungary in May 2000.
It was six years ago that I saw her first, on a warm summer afternoon in a flowering schoolyard in Szekszard. The municipal music school had invited me to serve as an outside examiner that year. We were hearing the well-prepared pupils in the auditorium of the renowned Garay Gimnazium. A diminutive little girl was announced: seven years old, but hardly looking even that.
She began to play music. And it was indeed music she was playing, not just piano — music immemorial, her miniature fingers sculpting Bach and Mozart out of that oversize keyboard. She even played us a few little pieces she herself had written. A great gift, first spreading its wings. No one was surprised to hear that we awarded her the prize book. In the fullness of her 7 years she was already well-known in that town; many were predicting she would one day be the pride of Szekszard.
Four years pass. Now eleven, she plays Beethoven’s C-minor piano concerto in the student concert. By now everyone recognizes that hers is no ordinary talent. She is brought up to Budapest. The Music Academy Director receives her with tokens of his admiration and respect: He “would admit her immediately to the Academy, but the Jewish-Laws forbid it.” He adds that he hopes the regime will soon fall; till then he would still like to follow her development closely. The little girl is happy. A radiantly bright autumn day. Anny can come up to Budapest two more times, so the Music Academy’s celebrated piano maestro can hear her. Then comes March 19, 1944, and the maelstrom of deportation.
After the siege’s end, I hear nothing about them. Just two weeks ago, I learned from the deathlist of the Muhldorf Camp, that Anny’s father had perished there. Last week I met some people from Szekszard. My first question is about Anny. They tell me. It was in Auschwitz on a December day that they saw her last. The executioners came for Anny, to separate her from her mother. The little child with the God-given gift had been found unable to labour hard enough. Her mother, Rozsi, would not leave her, so she was taken to the gas chamber too. Never seen again.
Little Anny Engel! This is the first article about you, and it will have no successors, because the little artist is no more.
Yet what an endless joy it would have been for me, if you had played the first movement of the C-Minor concerto once again. You know, that last trill, at the end of the cadenza, the one for which you need bigger hands — I would leave it as you played it for the time being.
Women, mothers, whom the star of fortune spared from the horror, and all of you who are happily embracing your children now: don’t you hear them sometimes, on calm nights, the muted moans?
Miért engedtétek?
Kotányi Nelly
Hat év előtt láttam először, meleg nyári délelőttön a szekszárdi gimnázium virágos udvarán. Abban az évben vizsgabiztosnak hívott meg az ottani városi zeneiskola. A nagyhírű Garay-gimnázium tantermében hallgattuk a növendékek szépen betanult jatékát. Beszólítottak egy pöttömnyi kisleányt. Hét éves volt, de annyinak sem látszott. Muzsikálni kezdett! Nem zongorázott, mert muzsika volt, áhitatos zene, ahogy kicsiny ujjai Bachot és Mozartot megszólaltatták! Meghallgattuk néhány apró darabját, amit ő komponált! Egy nagy tehetség első szárnypróbálgatása. Senki sem csodálkozott, hogy ő nyerte meg a jutalomkönyvet. A városban ismerték már 7 éves korában és sokan mondogatták, hogy egyszer még büszkesége lesz Szekszárdnak.
Elmúlik négy év. A 11 éves gyermek Beethoven C-moll koncertjét játssza a növendékhangversenyen. Most már mindenki elismeri, hogy nem mindennapi tehetség. Felhozzák Pestre. A Zeneművészeti Főiskola művésztanára elragadtatással és a legnagyobb elismeréssel fogadja. Azonnal felvenné a főiskolára, de a zsidótörvény nem engedi. Reméli azonban, hogy a rendszer megbukik hamarosan. Addig is figyelemmel akaja kísérni a gyermek fejlődését. A kisleány boldog. Verőfényes őszi nap. Anny még kétszer feljöhet Pestre, hogy a Zeneművészeti Főiskola kiváló tanára meghallgassa. Aztán jön 1944. március 19. és jön a deportálás infernója.
Az ostrom után sokáig nem tudok róluk semmit. Most két hét előtt olvastam a mühldorfi tábor halállistáján, hogy Anny édesapja szívbénulásban elhalt. Múlt héten szekszárdiakkal találkoztam. Első kérdésem, mi hír Annyról. Elmondják. Auschwitzban egy decemberi napon látták utoljára. A gyilkos pribékek jöttek Annyért, hogy szétválasszák édesanyjától. Az istenáldotta kis muzsikustehetség nem tudott eleget dolgozni. Vitték a gázkamrába. Édesanyja nem hagyta, vele ment. Azota nem látták őket.
Kicsi Engel Anny! Ez az első cikk rólad, melyet nem fog más követni, mert a kis művésznő – halott…
Pedig milyen végtelen öröm lett volna nekem, ha még egyszer eljátszanád a C-moll koncert első tételét. Azt az utolsó trillát, tudod, ott a kadencia végén, amihez nagyobb kéz kell, még egyenlőre elengedném!…
Asszonyok, anyák, kiket szerencsecsillagotok megvédett a borzalmaktól és boldogan ölelitek gyermekeiteket, nem halljátok néha csendes éjjeleken a halk sóhajtásokat: Miért engedtétek?
Made available on the Internet by Stevan Harnad at http://users.ecs.soton.ac.uk/harnad/skywritings/index.php?/archives/91-Miert-engedtetek.html
Anni Engel was Stevan’s cousin; her mother, Rozsika, from Kalocsa, his mother’s sister. Nelly Kotanyi was Anni’s piano teacher. His mother learned what became of them in June 1945, from a slightly earlier and longer (but suppressed and apparently lost) version of this article. This version was retrieved after some searching (at Stevan’s request) by someone in Hungary in May 2000.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Laura Kollin, my great-grandmother (1851-1928)
Other than knowing that she was my mother's grandmother, no family lore was passed on to me. I suppose my mother never knew her.
However, we are able to see the rich history of her family from archival records. She was born in Ajka, her parents were Márton Kollin and Franciska Lázár. Both the Lázár and the Kollin families lived in Ajka for at least 3 generations. Her maternal grandfather, Leopold Lázár was born in 1791 and was recorded in a 1828 census. Leopold Lázár and Terézia Billitz had 13 (!) children. Laura's paternal grandfather, Fülöp Kollin, was born in Kislőd, also in 1791. I guess these are my great-great-great-grandparents.
Through correspondence with a Hungarian genealogist, I was able to get a large set of family records from the surviving Jewish registries of Ajka. Close to 80% of the people in this set are related to the Lázár or the Kollin families. Sadly, very few branches survived the Holocaust; however, there a few living descendants I am still trying to trace.
The Kollin name probably derives from the Czech city of Kolín. Within Hungary, this is a rare Jewish name. Traces of it our found mostly in Veszprém county and the cities of Ajka, Devecser, Veszprém and Pápa. Alternate spellings are Kolin, Kohlin, even Kholin.
However, we are able to see the rich history of her family from archival records. She was born in Ajka, her parents were Márton Kollin and Franciska Lázár. Both the Lázár and the Kollin families lived in Ajka for at least 3 generations. Her maternal grandfather, Leopold Lázár was born in 1791 and was recorded in a 1828 census. Leopold Lázár and Terézia Billitz had 13 (!) children. Laura's paternal grandfather, Fülöp Kollin, was born in Kislőd, also in 1791. I guess these are my great-great-great-grandparents.
Through correspondence with a Hungarian genealogist, I was able to get a large set of family records from the surviving Jewish registries of Ajka. Close to 80% of the people in this set are related to the Lázár or the Kollin families. Sadly, very few branches survived the Holocaust; however, there a few living descendants I am still trying to trace.
The Kollin name probably derives from the Czech city of Kolín. Within Hungary, this is a rare Jewish name. Traces of it our found mostly in Veszprém county and the cities of Ajka, Devecser, Veszprém and Pápa. Alternate spellings are Kolin, Kohlin, even Kholin.
A little geography and history: Ajka, Padrag and Tapolca are in Veszprém megye (county). The city of Ajka has a medieval past, but really started to develop with the start of coal mining in the area in 1836 and the establisment of the Ajka Glass Factory. It has continued to be an industrial centre based mostly around the production of aluminum, and was the scene of the 2010 alumina plant accident. Padrag was a village about 8 km to the south. It was absorbed into Ajka in 1984.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Zsigmond Popper's connections
Zsigmond died in 1926 in Tapolca at age 81. His death certificate lists his parents as "unknown". Is it possible that his wife and son didn't know their names, or was the registrar just careless?
The 1848 census of Jews lists one Zsigmond Popper (age 2) living in Csabrendek (also Rendek, Zala county). The family listed there consists of Móric Popper, his wife Betti Rotschild, their children Zsiga (2) and Károly (1). The year of birth is a good match and Csabrendek is only 25 km from Padrag, 22 km from Tapolca. I like the story, even the name Móric is echoed in the name the grandson Mór/Márton, my grandfather.
Unfortunately, the registration records from this area are very poorly preserved. A genealogist by the name Zoltán Györe helped me out with quite a few details. We were able to identify additional members of the family from Csabrendek. Móric's other name was Moses, lived 1818-1880, his parents were Josef Wolf Popper and Katharina Neustadler-Böhm. (Böhm means Bohemian).
According to the census, Móric was originally from Lukavec, Bohemia. Looking for Poppers in Lukavec, I came across a Johana Popper, daughter of Josef Wolf Popper and Katharina Neustadler. Johana was born in 1803, was married to Salamon Eltbogen, and lived in Lukavec. There is a very extensive family tree that someone had put online (unfortunately now deceased). Their descendants were mostly from Bohemia, with some emigrating to the US and Israel.
I am continuing the search to prove the connection of great-grandfather Zsigmond to the Csabrendek family. Having located the death certificate did not provide this...
The 1848 census of Jews lists one Zsigmond Popper (age 2) living in Csabrendek (also Rendek, Zala county). The family listed there consists of Móric Popper, his wife Betti Rotschild, their children Zsiga (2) and Károly (1). The year of birth is a good match and Csabrendek is only 25 km from Padrag, 22 km from Tapolca. I like the story, even the name Móric is echoed in the name the grandson Mór/Márton, my grandfather.
Unfortunately, the registration records from this area are very poorly preserved. A genealogist by the name Zoltán Györe helped me out with quite a few details. We were able to identify additional members of the family from Csabrendek. Móric's other name was Moses, lived 1818-1880, his parents were Josef Wolf Popper and Katharina Neustadler-Böhm. (Böhm means Bohemian).
According to the census, Móric was originally from Lukavec, Bohemia. Looking for Poppers in Lukavec, I came across a Johana Popper, daughter of Josef Wolf Popper and Katharina Neustadler. Johana was born in 1803, was married to Salamon Eltbogen, and lived in Lukavec. There is a very extensive family tree that someone had put online (unfortunately now deceased). Their descendants were mostly from Bohemia, with some emigrating to the US and Israel.
Side note: migration of Jews from Bohemia and Moravia (today's Czech Republic) was quite common. Before 1848, the laws in those provinces, called the Familianten Laws, allowed only one son in each family to marry, thus limiting the growth the Jewish population. As a result, many younger sons emigrated to other lands, such as Western Hungary. Thus, it is plausible that Moses, born in Bohemia, had migrated to Hungary and married into a local family.
I am continuing the search to prove the connection of great-grandfather Zsigmond to the Csabrendek family. Having located the death certificate did not provide this...
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Popper family forebears
Our earliest known ancestor on the Popper side was Zsigmond Popper (1845-1926). Zsigmond lived in Padrag, Veszprém county, Hungary. Padrag is now part of the city of Ajka, and lies about 30 km north of the Lake Balaton and Tapolca. He was listed as a grocer and an inn keeper in contemporary gazetteers. His wife was Laura Kollin (1851-1928). Zsigmond moved to Tapolca with some of the family members around 1895-1900 and was registered there as a land owner. He died in 1926 in Tapolca. Laura survived him, moved to Budapest with daughters Emma and Ilona where she lived until 1928 and is buried in the Budapest, Kozma u. cemetery.
(My theory is that Zsigmond's ancestors immigrated from Bohemia (the Czech lands) due to the Familianten laws. There are records of a Zsigmond born 1847 in nearby Csabrendek. The Kollin family seems to come from Ajka. This is a relatively rare name in Hungary, and I found most references clustered around the Veszprém region. Subject of other articles.)
Zsigmond and Laura had a large family. Klára used to say that the oldest and youngest children were a generation apart. This is how Vilma, her first cousin was 23 years older. They were: Albert (1875), Gyula, Gizella (1883-1929), Emma (1882-1941), Ilona (1884-1944), Károly (1887-1944), Irén (1889-1944), Márton (1891-1944).
Gizella Popper was married to Albert Krausz who lived in Veszprém. Lali and Vilma were their children. Lali (Louis Krausz) emigrated to New York in the 1930's, where he married Sarah and worked as a jeweler. Vilma Hoffmann (1907-1984) survived the concentration camp in Auschwitz, but lost her first husband, József Kertész, and her son, Árpád (1931-1944). She emigrated to the USA in 1957 with John, her son from her second marriage. John lives in New Haven with his wife Susan.
Emma Popper lived in Budapest, Szondi utca 19. She was married to Gyula Deutsch and had one son, István (Pista). Emma néni died around 1941 due to natural causes. Pista served in the labour battalions during WW II. He disappeared in the spring of 1945 around Szekszárd while he was searching for Laci and Klári.
Ilona Popper also lived in Budapest, and married József Krausz. József died around 1939. Having lost all her relatives, Ilona néni committed suicide rather than subjecting herself to the move into the Pest ghetto in 1944.
Károly Popper and his family lived in Tapolca. He and his wife (Ilona Schlesinger) perished in Auschwitz. Their children were Imre and István. István (who changed his surname to Polgár) lived in Budapest after WW II, married Éva, and had two sons, István and Tibor. His last address known to me was Budapest, 1118, Regös köz 1.
Irén Popper married Adolf (Dali) Popper in Tapolca, 1912. They were first cousins, and they had no children. Adolf was the son of Mihály Popper and Teréz Singer. Mihály must have been the brother of Zsigmond. For quite a while they lived in the house next door to Márton and Jolán in Kölesd. They both perished in the Holocaust.
Márton Popper (1891-1944) was originally named Móric, but he always used Márton. He started his career at the Postal Savings Bank ("Postatakarékpénztár") where he achieved a distinguished position before retirement. In 1924, he married Jolán Engel, daughter of Frigyes Engel who had an established business in lumber, firewood and building materials, in the village of Kölesd, Tolna county. They settled in Kölesd. He took over the business of his father-in-law, to which he added a Vacuum Oil Co. franchise. Márton and Jolán both perished in Auschwitz. Their children were Laci (1925-2004) and Klári (1930-2000) who emigrated to Canada; the grandchildren from this side are George Popper and myself.
There are two more grandchildren of Zsigmond which we are still trying to identify.
Martin Popper lived in New York, and he was a lawyer. He had visited us in Budapest cca. 1967. He was the son of Albert Popper and the same as Martin Popper (1909-1989) a prominent lawyer who was active in left-wing causes in the years after WW II and who was executive secretary of the National Lawyers Guild. More details here.
George Polgar is a cousin who got in touch with our family in the 1990's from Australia. He is probably a descendant of Gyula Popper. Gyula was as a witness to Márton's marriage, lived in Kaposvár, and had a registered business there in 1939. Based on correspondence, George had two children and several grandchildren. Last known address was Darling Point, NSW, Australia (2000).
(My theory is that Zsigmond's ancestors immigrated from Bohemia (the Czech lands) due to the Familianten laws. There are records of a Zsigmond born 1847 in nearby Csabrendek. The Kollin family seems to come from Ajka. This is a relatively rare name in Hungary, and I found most references clustered around the Veszprém region. Subject of other articles.)
Zsigmond and Laura had a large family. Klára used to say that the oldest and youngest children were a generation apart. This is how Vilma, her first cousin was 23 years older. They were: Albert (1875), Gyula, Gizella (1883-1929), Emma (1882-1941), Ilona (1884-1944), Károly (1887-1944), Irén (1889-1944), Márton (1891-1944).
Gizella Popper was married to Albert Krausz who lived in Veszprém. Lali and Vilma were their children. Lali (Louis Krausz) emigrated to New York in the 1930's, where he married Sarah and worked as a jeweler. Vilma Hoffmann (1907-1984) survived the concentration camp in Auschwitz, but lost her first husband, József Kertész, and her son, Árpád (1931-1944). She emigrated to the USA in 1957 with John, her son from her second marriage. John lives in New Haven with his wife Susan.
Emma Popper lived in Budapest, Szondi utca 19. She was married to Gyula Deutsch and had one son, István (Pista). Emma néni died around 1941 due to natural causes. Pista served in the labour battalions during WW II. He disappeared in the spring of 1945 around Szekszárd while he was searching for Laci and Klári.
Ilona Popper also lived in Budapest, and married József Krausz. József died around 1939. Having lost all her relatives, Ilona néni committed suicide rather than subjecting herself to the move into the Pest ghetto in 1944.
Károly Popper and his family lived in Tapolca. He and his wife (Ilona Schlesinger) perished in Auschwitz. Their children were Imre and István. István (who changed his surname to Polgár) lived in Budapest after WW II, married Éva, and had two sons, István and Tibor. His last address known to me was Budapest, 1118, Regös köz 1.
Irén Popper married Adolf (Dali) Popper in Tapolca, 1912. They were first cousins, and they had no children. Adolf was the son of Mihály Popper and Teréz Singer. Mihály must have been the brother of Zsigmond. For quite a while they lived in the house next door to Márton and Jolán in Kölesd. They both perished in the Holocaust.
Márton Popper (1891-1944) was originally named Móric, but he always used Márton. He started his career at the Postal Savings Bank ("Postatakarékpénztár") where he achieved a distinguished position before retirement. In 1924, he married Jolán Engel, daughter of Frigyes Engel who had an established business in lumber, firewood and building materials, in the village of Kölesd, Tolna county. They settled in Kölesd. He took over the business of his father-in-law, to which he added a Vacuum Oil Co. franchise. Márton and Jolán both perished in Auschwitz. Their children were Laci (1925-2004) and Klári (1930-2000) who emigrated to Canada; the grandchildren from this side are George Popper and myself.
There are two more grandchildren of Zsigmond which we are still trying to identify.
Martin Popper lived in New York, and he was a lawyer. He had visited us in Budapest cca. 1967. He was the son of Albert Popper and the same as Martin Popper (1909-1989) a prominent lawyer who was active in left-wing causes in the years after WW II and who was executive secretary of the National Lawyers Guild. More details here.
George Polgar is a cousin who got in touch with our family in the 1990's from Australia. He is probably a descendant of Gyula Popper. Gyula was as a witness to Márton's marriage, lived in Kaposvár, and had a registered business there in 1939. Based on correspondence, George had two children and several grandchildren. Last known address was Darling Point, NSW, Australia (2000).
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